It is a time honored and proud tradition for students, teachers, staff, and parents at Blackridge Elementary School.

On this episode of the Supercast, find out why the Veterans Day program is so special at this school and how they updated it this year to honor a rather new branch of the military. We start with a word from two teachers who are the driving forces behind the production, making it a family and community favorite year after year.

Regan Stowell:

We do the military, the different military songs, and the veterans actually stand up for that first time. And the kids actually make that connection of like, "Oh my gosh, I'm singing to him or her because they're the ones in the Air Force." I really think like that is one of the most powerful pieces.

Anthony Godfrey:

Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It is a time-honored and proud tradition for students, teachers, staff, and parents at Blackridge Elementary School.

On this episode of the Supercast, find out why the Veterans Day program is so special at this school and how they updated it this year to honor the newest branch of the military. We start with a word from two teachers who are the driving force behind this production, making it a family and community favorite year after year.

We're here at Blackridge talking with the two teachers who have made this Veterans Day program possible. Introduce yourselves and tell us a little bit about your position.

Regan Stowell:

I am Regan Stowell and I teach third grade here at Blackridge.

Joshua Roberts:

I'm Joshua Roberts. I'm the Beverly Taylor Sorensen Music Specialist at Blackridge Elementary.

Anthony Godfrey:

We're grateful for all of our music specialists, and our dance specialists, all of art specialists across the district, and the support that they provide to make these very important experiences available for students. For those who were not fortunate enough to come, please describe the program and the other things that you did to prepare the school for the program and what you did for the Veterans after. There were decorations, there were things after, gifts for Veterans after, so will you just describe it for those who weren't able to be here?

Joshua Roberts:

It's all hands on deck. So we have an arts committee with a representative from each grade level team. We tell them their songs or assignments. I assign them one song to work with their kids. I work on the other and by the time the program comes we're all teaching all the music. Second grade is a huge help. They are the ones that decorated the gym with all of the pictures of the Veterans and put up the flags. They were also the ones that collected the photos for the slideshow that I put together showing the Veterans at the beginning. Third grade—

Regan Stowell:

–Made thank you cards for the Veterans so that when they left, and Mrs. Barlow had made them their cookies, they also received a thank you card that was handwritten from third-grade students. What else?

Joshua Roberts:

Also, the kids that are in the little costumes for each grade.

Regan Stowell:

Oh yes, the third grade does the military parade. So they're the ones who come out in the uniforms, and the flags, and the signs when their different military branch is sung, like when the different songs are sung. Kindergarten comes out and does your ‘Grand Old Flag’ with first and second grade and with the flags, which we love.

Joshua Roberts:

And fourth, fifth, and sixth grade volunteer most of the speakers for the program because they're the ones that can do it. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:

You've been doing this for a very long time–

Regan Stowell:

I have.

Anthony Godfrey:

–as a teacher. Tell me about the time that you've spent putting all of this together over the years, where you've done it, how long you've done it because this program was really an amazing way to honor Veterans and teach students about their country and to instill a sense of patriotism.

Regan Stowell:

In 2005, I was teaching third grade at Herriman Elementary and we were a couple of years into the Iraqi War. We had a lot of parents in our community that had been called up by the Utah National Guard. And I just felt it was really important for the kids to understand the sacrifices that these people in our community were making. So I had started it out as just a third-grade program. It was just something that the third graders did for the school. And I did it that way up until 2018. I did it at Herriman and Jordan Hills, Falcon Ridge, Heartland, Hayden Peak, and then here at Blackridge.

In 2008, Mr. Butler asked me if we could kind of rearrange it so that every grade could be involved, that it wasn't just a third-grade program, that every grade could also participate in saying thank you to the Veterans, which I was so grateful because I think it makes the whole program much more powerful that every student gets an opportunity to say thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:

Absolutely. I don't blame him for wanting to multiply this by six. Yes. And make sure that every grade had a chance to participate. How has it evolved over the years? Tell me about the ways that it's changed since you started nearly 20 years ago.

Regan Stowell:

A very long time ago. I think we have tried to change songs over the years. This year we added two new songs. The ‘50 Nifty’ song was one that we haven't done before here at Blackridge and then incorporating the Utah song also so that it kind of moves from like the flow of the program is starting out by talking about the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ and saying the Pledge of Allegiance, moving into the different military branches and honoring them, and then also bringing in how special our country is because of the sacrifice that these men and women make as they go out and serve in the military.

Anthony Godfrey:

I did notice that there was a Space Force song sung today, and I was not previously aware that there was a Space Force song. Tell me a little bit about that.

Joshua Roberts:

My dear friend Mrs. Shelton at Mountain Point Elementary was in the military, and last year she harassed me for not having Space Force included, and they are a branch of the military. They've been around for...

Regan Stowell:

2018.

Joshua Roberts:

So 5, 6 years. So we're going to start seeing veterans come out of that at some point. So she arranged it so that our school is the only school that has that recording to use for Space Force because she was an army singer for the better part of the decade. She had the connections to hook us up with getting that recording.

Anthony Godfrey:

Wow. So that is a bootleg recording of the Space Force.

Joshua Roberts:

Not bootleg. It's an official one that they gave us permission to use.

Anthony Godfrey:

So you actually, it's fully legit, but it's only here. You'll only hear it here.

Joshua Roberts:

Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:

Wow. That is cool. That did stand out to me. I've gone to a lot of Veterans Day programs over the years, and this one is a standout already because of the clear passion that the kids have and that they've learned a lot from preparing for the performance. Not just that they're performing, but you can tell that it's impacted them. But I really did pick up on that Space Force song, having attended a lot of programs. I think that's a really cool touch this year.

Joshua Roberts:

Yeah. And it's something that going forward is going to need to be included in certain Veterans programs because they will be there.

Anthony Godfrey:

Stay with us. When we come back more at Blackridge Elementary School.

Never miss an episode of the Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.

Break:

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Anthony Godfrey:

One of the things I really appreciated about the program is the context that was given to each song. What the song means, where the song came from, how the song was written, or how it came to be discovered in the case of ‘God Bless America’. Tell me about including that as part of the program.

Joshua Roberts:

So with the BTS grant specifically, I include US songs in third grade and in fifth grade as part of the integrations that we do. They learn the national anthem, we learn the history about it. ‘This Land is Your Land’ was one that we hit hard in fifth grade. And putting those songs in context is a huge anchor. Like if you just sing songs without context, what's the point of doing what we're doing?

Regan Stowell:

But I think your teaching them makes all the difference because even with the speaking parts, it doesn't mean anything if you haven't taught them what those songs truly mean and where they came from.

Joshua Stowell:

Right.

Regan Stowell:

That's the piece that makes this whole program so much more impactful for the students. Because while you're doing the context in class when we also share that piece in the program, it makes that connection.

Joshua Roberts:

And we've been doing this one here for five years.

Regan Stowell:

Well, before I came to Blackridge–

Joshua Roberts:

We had another one.

Regan Stowell:

–you already had a really strong Veterans Day program.

Joshua Roberts:

But we sat down together and looked at Regan's original. I wanted to make sure that what we were doing was very much centered on the Veterans. We're not singing about America in general. We are thanking the members of our community for their service. And I think when I talk about the songs with students in my classroom, that that is the focus. And when we do our rehearsals, one of the things I got up there and blasted at them was this program this day is not about you. And you need to put your ego aside because we are thanking members of our community. And I think that even with the histories behind the songs, that that's the more important thing is we are thanking and showing our appreciation to veterans that live in Harriman.

Anthony Godfrey:

That came through very clearly in the performance and in the way that Mr. Butler had students stand and give a standing ovation and thank the veterans just by looking at them and helping them feel that standing ovation. But that was true in every aspect of the performance. Nothing was rote. Nothing was simply standing up and doing what you were supposed to do. It was all an expression of what they clearly understood and felt.

Joshua Roberts:

Yeah. And for us to like we're the ones that had the theme, but it really is a full staff, full student body effort. Everybody–

Regan Stowell:

Everyone.

Joshua Roberts:

Nighttime sweepers all the way up. Everyone. Like teachers help rehearse weekly. I'm doing as much as I can in my class time. It took an army to get the setup last Thursday because we didn't have school on Friday. Like everybody involved made it happen so we could just get up there and look pretty and wave our arms.

Anthony Godfrey:

All hands on deck as it were. Yes. So tell me, it's fun to see the two of you interact as you talk about this because clearly when you say it takes everyone it does but this team right here the two of you collaborating has really taken it to another level it feels like.

Regan Stowell:

Absolutely.

Joshua Roberts:

Yeah.

Regan Stowell:

Absolutely. Mr. Josh, Mr. Roberts, he's so easy to work with but he also keeps me focused because I can be a little bit like “Let's do this, let's do this, let's add this”, and to just really keep it focused on the veterans. Keep it simple so that what we're doing is really honoring them for their service and their bravery. I think too, like helping the kids really understand that one of my favorite parts actually of the program is something I never get to see, but it's the piece that I think really connects with them. So maybe Claire and Emily will be able to say if I'm right or wrong, but when we do the different military songs and the veterans actually stand up for that first time and the kids actually make that connection of like “Oh my gosh, I'm singing to him or her because they're the ones in the Air Force. That's what I've prepared for”, I really think like that is one of the most powerful pieces. And the reason why originally so long ago I wanted to do this is because I wanted the students and the kids to understand that piece.

Anthony Godfrey:

The personal connection is really clear.

Joshua Roberts:

I mean last year we had one of the last World War II veterans in the area whose grandkids go to the school. He was able to make it and he died about a month or two after our Veterans Day assembly. It was a huge deal to have somebody still living that was able to serve in World War II.

Anthony Godfrey:

Wow, what a memorable moment to have him there.

Joshua Roberts:

He got a full standing ovation by himself from everybody in the room. It was that impactful.

Regan Stowell:

It was amazing.

Anthony Godfrey:

Over the years there are a lot of memories of specific veterans that have had an impact.

Regan Stowell:

Yeah, last year we also had someone who came in his full Marine uniform and he played the trumpet.

Joshua Roberts:

He played ‘Taps.’

Regan Stowell:

Yeah, but he played the trumpet in the Marine band I think that’s what it was. So he played ‘Taps’ for the for the kids so they could hear what that would sound like, and it was amazing.

Anthony Godfrey:

Let's talk with a couple of students who've been able to be part of this over the years. Tell me your name and your grade.

Claire Knotwell:

I'm Claire Knotwell and I am in sixth grade.

Emily Esselman:

I am Emily Esselman and now I'm in fifth grade.

Anthony Godfrey:

You've each been able to play different roles in each grade. Tell me do you have a favorite year, a favorite song that you learned along the way?

Claire Knotwell:

Mine was the Navy because my papa was in the Navy and he retired. He was in the Navy for 36 years I think.

Anthony Godfrey:

Wow was he able to be here and see you perform that?

Claire Knotwell:

No, he lives in Missouri so he can’t come.

Anthony Godfrey:

Okay, that would have been difficult. How about for you Emily?

Emily Esselman:

My favorite part is probably the medley. The Military Medley.

Anthony Godfrey:

Yeah, that's impactful. Tell me how has this changed you? What have you learned from this experience?

Claire Knotwell:

Probably that like you don't really realize a lot of how much someone really does for just a country and kind of like the sacrifices they give to help us out. I think that I've learned a lot more about that since I've been here.

Emily Esselman:

I've learned a lot about how many people are able to come and serve this country and fight for our freedom.

Anthony Godfrey:

Do you have a family member that's a veteran? I know that Claire's grandfather was in the Navy. How about for you?

Emily Esselman:

My dad served in the Air Force for about seven years. He was a loadmaster and he went on a few combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Anthony Godfrey:

Wow. Was he able to be here to see you perform?

Emily Esselman:

He was here in the morning program.

Anthony Godfrey:

How does it make him feel do you think to see you perform these patriotic songs? Especially his song?

Emily Esselman:

I think it has him remember that he did this and he served for our country and he fought for our freedom. And knowing that he helped make this country what it is today.

Anthony Godfrey:

Absolutely. Thank you very much for taking the time not only to perform this, I look forward to it every year. I canceled meetings to be here today because this is much better than any meeting

Students:

Thank you very much.

Anthony Godfrey:

Thank you for taking the time for the interview today and happy Veterans Day.

Joshua Roberts:

Thanks for coming up to Blackridge.

Anthony Godfrey:

Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see out there.